Sony Xperia M2 review: Dial M for midrange

Sony Xperia M2 retail package

The roomy retail box of the Sony Xperia M2 covers just the basics in the shape of an A/C adapter, a microUSB cable and a headset.

Sony Xperia M2 retail box

Sony Xperia M2 360-degree view

With a bigger screen to show for it, the Sony Xperia M2 is obviously taller than the original Xperia M. It stands at 139.7 x 71.1 x 8.6mm and weighs a solid 148g. This is very close in fact to the dual-SIM five-incher, the Xperia C.

Design, build quality and handling

It's not just the size actually, the two handsets have quite a lot in common. Sony has keept the OmniBalance design for a second generation in a row now and it still does the job quite well. What the Xperia M2 lacks compared to the Xperia C is a removable battery cover, and therefore a user-accessible battery.

What looks like glass on both sides, is actually a pretty close resemblance but the Sony was obviously mindful of the budget. A closer inspection reveals the rear is actually made of extra glossy black polycarbonate. It's so reflective it can almost replace a mirror. The downside of this finish is it would get covered in smudges if you even so much as look at it.

Sony Xperia M2

The Sony Xperia M2 comes with a 4.8" display, which HTC might try to sell to you as a mini next year. It isn't the most compact smartphone around, but not impossible to operate single-handedly. The Xperia M2's matte sides provide at least some sort of proper grip, which is more than welcome considering the super slippery rear finish.

Handling the Xperia M2

Display

The Sony Xperia M2 has a 4.8" LCD display of qHD resolution (540 x 960px) for a decent, even if hardly spectacular, 229ppi sharpness. It is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass 3, though the absence of oleophobic coating makes fingerprints a problem. The surface is not as easy to clean as we would like.

Sony Xperia M2's display

Color rendering looks okay, but the white balance is on the cold side meaning there is a subtle bluish tint. On this smartphone the side viewing angles are OK, with little loss of contrast and color shift when you are not looking at the screen head on.

Sony Xperia M2 RGB display matrix

The overall image quality is quite decent, the display is very bright and the contrast is great.

Display test

50% brightness

100% brightness

Black, cd/m2

White, cd/m2

Contrast ratio

Black, cd/m2

White, cd/m2

Contrast ratio

Sony Xperia M2

0.33

325

989

0.64

643

1000

Sony Xperia M

0.17

150

865

0.57

569

983

Nokia Lumia 625

0.18

200

1111

0.33

395

1205

HTC One mini 2

0.19

220

1141

0.42

501

1196

LG G2 mini

0.12

91

752

0.52

398

748

HTC One mini

0.15

177

1197

0.50

685

1361

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

0

166

∞

0

396

∞

Motorola Moto G

0.35

315

906

0.57

550

967

Oppo R819

0.56

607

1078

0.62

754

1210

The front display glass is quite reflective too, making the screen hard to read in direct sunlight.